A special hearing Wednesday would lead to a decision about allowing Walmart to build a new store in Bel Air, a proposal for which some residents are giving "no sale."

The Bel Air Walmart on Constant Friendship Boulevard and Route 24 has been here since the 1990s, but Walmart officials decided they want to close that store and build another one just down the road at Route 24 and Plum Tree Road, but area residents do not favor the idea.

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"'We the people.' I hope that you guys will respect we the people," one resident said.

Many people who attended a special Harford County Development Advisory Committee hearing said they were not happy with Walmart's plans.

"We keep hearing about how Walmart is going to bring all these jobs. The jobs that they bring are low paying and are going to be offset by the jobs that are going to be lost at all the businesses (in the new location)," another resident said.

"The traffic is the major problem," a county official said. "We've met with Walmart and we've asked them to look at another way to bring the traffic in and out."

"They are trying to put a store in this little 17-acre lot that is right across the street from homes, and we did our research: there is no other Walmart that was built after a community already existed on top of residential areas," another resident said.

The property is question was zoned for high-density many years ago, and while residents might not want the store there, Harford County spokesman Bob Thomas said if Walmart complies with the improvements to all the roads and to the property the zoning board wants they have the right to build.

"They meet all those criteria that the citizens have asked for and the department of planning and zoning, Harford County government cannot stop the process," Thomas said.

A large number of people attended to voice their concerns and frustrations, but Walmart said there are just as many people who want the new store built.

"Walmart has submitted to the county the signatures of more than 1,500 county residents who are in support of this project," said Bill Wetz with Walmart.

Officials said Wednesday's hearing is just one part of a long process that needs to take place before a final decision is made and that could take months.